About

Pumping Station: One is a hackerspace located in the Avondale neighborhood at 3519 North Elston Avenue, Chicago, Il 60647. We have an open house every Tuesday at 8pm.

The organization was started in April 2009 with 30 people in a coffee shop. Our membership of more than 480 people gather in a facility that is about 11,000 square feet.

What are we?

We are a collaborative community of people driven to foster an environment for the exploration of the intersections between technology, art and culture. We also fulfill our role as a community resource by hosting classes on electronics, programming, crafts, and any other skills that members (or guests) are willing to share. We’re a hacker space similar to others such as the Cowtown Computer Congress, NYC Resistor, NoiseBridge, HACDC, and many other groups around the country.

obsessed with the pursuit of knowledge and sharing it with those around us

What we are not.

We are not focused on re-creating, fabricating, or finishing an idea for anyone. While some of our members maybe interested in your business opportunity, our organization does not operate in that type of collective manner. We care about empowering others to create.

We are not…

an incubator

a group of nefarious computer hackers trying to steal things

trying to teach our members how to break the law

interested in starting a public riot

More on Hackerspaces

To learn more about hackerspaces, and see examples of other hackerspaces around the world, visit hackerspaces.org or watch this video of hacker extraordinaire Mitch Altman at TEDxBrussels:

What is our legal status?

Pumping Station: One, NFP, an Illinois non-profit organization, is organized exclusively for charitable, educational, and scientific purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (or the corresponding section of any future United States Internal Revenue law). Pumping Station: One, NFP is a 501(c)(3).

Do I need to be a member to participate?

We have many events such as parties and workshops that may be open to non-members. We also have a guest policy, which allows members to occasionally bring in a guest. Guests are not allowed to use any of our equipment.

The best way to learn more about PS:1 is to attend an orientation on the fourth Sunday of each month from 4-6pm. See the events page for details. Additional orientation events may sometimes be scheduled.

You do need to be a member to use the organization’s tools and equipment, generally considered anything more dangerous or complicated than a soldering iron. Members must be individually and specifically authorized on certain (most) tools and equipment.

Can my minor child/teenager attend PS:One public events?

Generally, yes, though some events and activities may have a minimum age limit. To attend PS:One events and functions at our workspace, anyone under 18 must be accompanied by their parent or legal guardian. It is up to the host of an event to decide who is permitted to attend.

What equipment do you have?

We have lots of stuff – take a look around our Equipment List to get an idea of the equipment we have laying about. Each tool or piece of equipment on that list should have a label attached to it somewhere that will tell you it’s page on our wiki, who owns it (a member or the organization itself) and whether or not authorization is required to use it. Most tools and equipment require members to be specifically authorized to use them.

Visit Us!

We hold an open house every
Tuesday at 8pm
The door should be open. If not, ring the bell and someone will let you in.